Centerstage Chicago
Winter doesn't have to mean non-stop hibernation—nor does it mean you have to trade running by the lake for monotonous sessions on a treadmill. The next time you're torn between burrowing under blankets and braving the cold air, grab a few friends and head to one of these awesome ice rinks, where ice skating and hot chocolate will keep you warm and toasty while you have a blast and break a sweat...or play it extra warm and head to an indoor rink to practice this outdoor sport...
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Originally published November 27, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
The American artist Joseph Cornell is best known for his wooden collages created from found objects—bits of string, photographs, seashells, shards of glass, chicken wire, bric-a-brac. A reclusive man not unfamiliar with longing, Cornell lived with his mother and brother in a wooden frame house in Queens for most of his life, and his story makes a fitting addition to the quartet of plays planned series on the lives and works of American artists, each a collaboration between playwright Charles L. Mee and Anne Bogart's SITI Company...
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Originally published November 22, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Chili Mac's 5-Way Chili isn't for the indecisive. With a bevy of choices to be made before you can sink your fork into this phenomenal dish, those more accustomed to the one-size-fits-all variety of chili may feel overwhelmed. First to consider is the actual chili; there are four varieties on the menu here....
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Originally published November 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Anyone with a sweet tooth worth its weight in chocolate enamel knows that Chicago is home to the Eli's Cheesecake Company. But did you know that the factory, which pumps out upwards of 12,000 cheesecakes a day is open to the public for tours...and tastes? Located on the Northwest Side, Eli's factory tour is a no-lose proposition: a bit of history, a belly of silky sweet cheesecake and a bevy of trivia bits mean even the most casual fan will find it well worth the trip...
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Originally published November 20, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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"I thought this was actually a sad literary scene when I moved to Chicago in 2000," says poet William Allegrezza, a teacher at Indiana University Northwest and an editor for experimental poetry journal Moria. "But then there was an explosion of reading series in the city, a real experimental renaissance." Allegrezza quickly became immersed in the literary scene, mainly traveling north to attend reading series that showcased experimental poetry. But when a few of the reading series went on hiatus, it sparked Allegrezza to bring some of that literary energy to his own neighborhood, Hyde Park...
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Originally published November 13, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
Mom has the turkey under control, leaving you with the task of bringing the wine. But what wines can hold their own against this mammoth meal? We asked five wine shop owners to fill us in on their favorite Thanksgiving pairings, whether you need to round out your table for less than $20 or find the holiday totally splurge-worthy...
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Originally published November 13, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
Anyone familiar with Rebecca Gilman's work knows to suspect that a play titled "Boy Gets Girl" will be a far cry from the cutesy romantic comedy the wording would suggest. In true form, Gilman starts from the well-worn premise of an awkward blind date and quickly turns expectations on their side, delivering a disturbing meditation on obsession, objectification and the darker underbelly of communication between men and women...
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Originally published November 9, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
In an Ohio basement in 1985, young Dean Evans watched "Purple Rain" with his family and heard the word homosexual for the first time. Enchanted by the word, the meaning of which he did not yet know, he performed a sensual dance for his family that involved a pillow and much breathy repetition, the dance ending abruptly when his brother called him a fag and his stepfather left the room in appalled silence. "And I never got to finish my motherfucking dance," a grown Dean Evans said to the audience of "Drag," the latest mainstage production by the Neo-Futurists...
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Originally published November 7, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Linda Bubon, the co-owner of Womean & Children First bookstore, is a busy woman. Her only free time for an interview was the thin time slot between story-hour and a meeting with a book vendor, though she warned me she'd be busy straightening the store while we talked. Scurrying behind her as she straightened shelves, I asked Bubon to fill us in on the bookstore's history and (a request she hears a dozen times a day) to throw a few recommendations my way...
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Originally published November 6, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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While waiting for "Vigils" to begin at the Goodman Theatre, it is almost impossible not to note the unusual scenery. A ho-hum bedroom (bed, dresser, leather chair) is nestled into a concave box that angles sharply up, so that one can see the back wall and the entire ceiling at the same time. The structure bears patchwork cracks, as if a child on her way to school had dropped the diorama against the sidewalk...
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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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